


Make It Up To You

by imagination_junkyard



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hawkmoth Defeat, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Sorry Not Sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:15:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23148367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imagination_junkyard/pseuds/imagination_junkyard
Summary: Ladybug was prepared for loss when it came time for Papillion's defeat. She knew it meant giving up her miraculous. She knew it meant losing her friend Tikki. She knew it meant the last time spent with her partner Chat Noir.But she didn't realize she'd be losing so much more.She didn't know HE would be losing so much more.She only hoped she could somehow make it up to him.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 38
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! I'm sorry for failing to update my other fic- I do plan on continuing it!! But I stumbled across this document and was like oh dang. Oof.  
> Hm.  
> So I decided to post it.  
> I don't have a beta-reader so if you see errors please point them out so I can fix it, thank you!  
> I technically have a bit of a continuation planned for it, but not much. If y'all have ideas of what you'd like to see in this, drop a comment! For now, I'm just gonna be leaving this.  
> Yes, giving up their miraculous after the defeat of Papillion/Hawkmoth likely goes against what canon has implied, but this was written before we'd seen glimpse of the grown up duo and knowledge of there being a new Hawkmoth.  
> So we're just gonna roll with this take on it.  
> Edit: Made changes towards the middle as to Marinette's reasons for withholding her identity. I wrote this before season 2 came out, and at the time, Marinette's confidence seemed a lot more wobbly than it does now. I decided to edit things to better suit the Marinette we know today. If you've read this right after I posted it, I advise giving it another read! It'll be important to her actions as it continues.

Tikki had warned her before battle that, if they defeated Papillon once and for all, this would be their last transformation. She had explained that both her and Chat Noir’s kwami would become immediately sealed within the miraculous once more when their transformations wore off after the evil had been destroyed, where they would stay until they were needed by new holders. Marinette would take her earrings to Master Fu, and her life would resume the normalcy it had before she had become Ladybug. 

Marinette had exchanged tearful goodbyes with Tikki hours before the actual battle - the heroes had, in a sense, been cordially invited to face Papillon himself at the time and place he had specified. It was clear that this would be the biggest, and most likely, last battle. She had grown to love the powerful little being so much that it was hard to imagine a life without her cheerful chatter to listen to, twinkling giggles to make her smile, and sage advice to rely on. 

She didn't know what would await her when she arrived, but she knew it wasn't going to be easy. 

Knowing she had her partner at her side gave her comfort, and though neither of them had verbally agreed to meet up before the battle, they had the same idea as they faced each other on their usual meeting place on one of the higher beams of the Eiffel Tower. With a firm, long lasting hug that neither seemed to want to pull away from, they bid their farewells in advance, just in case, before straightening up, standing side by side, facing the setting sun. 

Chat Noir gave her hand a squeeze, a grin stretching across his face. Ladybug studied it, trying to burn it into her memories. 

“Ready?” he asked. 

“Ready,” she replied firmly, squeezing his hand back. _As I'll ever be._

“After you, my Lady,” he said softly, so she let go of his hand and reached for her yoyo. 

The battle was grueling, with both of their powers used multiple times with one running off to recharge while the other held off attacks for them. They cut it close a frighteningly large amount of times, but just as they always had, they came through victorious. The last few minutes of the battle were a blur, but soon the two stood in front of a very broken man, weeping for the return of his wife, for their mercy, for their miraculous, even as they had already taken his. 

It was a shock to see Papillion become a mess of a man, even more so to see none other than Gabriel Agreste, his cold exterior shattered. 

Chat Noir hadn't said a word, staring down at him with an expression that Ladybug couldn't decipher as he clutched Papillion’s miraculous in trembling fingers. 

She found it hard to believe as well. Her idol, the famous designer, the father of her crush, crumbling down into a pathetic image of desperation.

It horrified her to think of how Adrien would feel when he found out it was his own father who had tormented the town.

But the beeping of her miraculous reminded her that she had other priorities at the moment. Grabbing Chat Noir's arm to break him out of his stupor, she directed him to go get the police and lead them to the lair that they now stood in. 

Ensuring that _Monsieur_ Agreste had been safely taken into custody, the two made their way somewhere private for the final goodbyes, fists bumping together with bittersweet expressions.

Ladybug dropped her fist, while Chat Noir did not move. The grin he had shown her on the Eiffel Tower was nowhere to be found, replaced with a heavy sorrow in his green eyes. She gave him a small, sad smile.

“Good work, _Chaton.”_

Her earrings beeped for the third time, and she turned to leave, but the arm that Chat Noir still held out shot forward to catch her wrist. 

“Ladybug, wait!” panic seeped into her partner’s voice and she turned around to find tears in his eyes. 

“Please, we don't have to- we can- I want you to know who I am! I-” his voice broke. “I want to know you.”

Ladybug's throat constricted, stomach twisting. The expression on her beloved partner's face ripped through her as she belatedly realized she should have also been preparing for this moment. Of course he would want to share identities now that Papillion had been defeated. So used to the concept of such a thing being off the table, she had simply assumed that, much like Tikki, Chat Noir would simply become part of her past identity. With Papillion's sudden invitation to a final battle, such a short countdown before they were to arrive at the given location, she had been so focused on figuring out the arrangements for what would be done with the miraculous afterwards, she had glossed over the fact that, while the black cat miraculous would be returned as hers was, it still left a boy in it's place.

Of course she didn't want to lose Chat Noir, but it was that problem that froze her in her place. She didn't want to lose _Chat Noir._ That was an unfortunate inevitability.

But who were they to each other without the masks? What if the only thing that had created such a concrete friendship between the two left it crumbling once taken away? She could stand losing Chat Noir not knowing what would have become of it if she let the other side of him into her life. Things would resume as they had been before she had ever been given the earrings.

This was the chance to break clean. Saying goodbye to Ladybug and Chat Noir in one. A bittersweet closure of a job well done.

Not the chance for a messy fallout outside of masks. No new variables to juggle once the heroes gave up their duties. Selfish, maybe, but a goodbye she was prepared to make, not a wobbly future where control of the ending fell out of her grasp.

All these things hurriedly ran through her head, but she found herself uncertain how to express them. She knew he'd fight against her reasoning. He'd swear that they'd work it out, whatever faced them beyond their partnership. She didn't dare give him a chance to convince her, because she felt it would be too easy.

So without an explanation she was willing to give, she mutely shook her head, taking a step back.

“My Lady,” he begged, “ _please_.”

Her mouth opened and closed but she couldn't find anything to say, his expression of need, of fear, of sorrow mimicking the face of the man they had just stopped and put away. 

“I _need_ you to know,” he pleaded, a little more firmly this time, a small flicker of determination working their way into the deadened green of his eyes. 

Ladybug opened her mouth to stop him, but green light was already washing over him. She tried to move away or cover her eyes, but there was Adrien Agreste in front of her looking small, broken, hopeful. 

Ladybug's eyes widened, drawing in a short gasp of breath that caught itself in her throat, leaving her feeling strangled. Her Chat Noir was _Adrien_.

Her mind spun fruitlessly like the tire of a car stuck in the mud. She took a small, stumbling step back. 

He continued to stare at her, still gripping Papillion's miraculous firmly in one hand with white knuckles, waiting. _Waiting for her to show herself._

Her earrings sounded their final beep.

It was habitual, an instinct created from doing the same thing hundreds of times before, the usual fear driven response that pierced her mind above all her swirling thoughts and notified her that she had to get away from any and all people so she could detransform safely. 

Nothing else in her mind seemed to work other than the knee jerk response that moved her hand to her yoyo in a swift automatic movement, taking her away from where Adrien had handed her everything he had of himself, without a response or even a goodbye. 

She didn't make it too far before the pink light engulfed her for the last time, and she stood there, the alley horribly absent of a red and black spotted creature ready to dive into her purse or ask for some sweets to munch on. 

The silence deafened her as what had happened sank into her mind. 

Papillon was Gabriel Agreste. 

Chat Noir was Adrien. 

Papillon was Adrien's father. 

Adrien was Chat Noir. 

Papillon was _Chat Noir's father._

She had just lost Tikki, which meant Adrien had not only lost his kwami, but also, in a sense, his father. 

_And now Ladybug._

Her stomach sank icy as she turned and started running as fast as she could through the darkened streets of Paris, back to where she had left a boy whose entire world had just crumbled all alone. 

_What had she done?_

When she rounded the corner, Adrien was still rooted in place, staring at the spot she had stood in, face pale, shaking, tears slipping down his cheeks. 

“Adrien,” she gasped, air burning in her lungs as she tried to catch her breath. 

“Marinette…?” his head turned towards her, eyes blank. “What are you doing here?”

“Papillion- he- I-” she struggled to speak between breaths. 

If it were possible, his eyes grew even sadder, but he plastered his soft model smile onto his lips, as though his face was dry of tears and he was greeting her in school rather than facing the rejection of the person closest to him.

“They defeated Papillon, it's ok now,” his voice was soft. “You should get home. It's late.”

The empty distance in his words gripped at her heart and dug into it until it cracked to pieces, any words she had dying in her throat as she nodded slowly, turning to head off, not to her house, but to Master Fu’s, the last step to ending everything her life had become. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heart torn, Marinette returns to Master Fu's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'ALL THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE FEEDBACK! So many long comments so soon after I posted! I revised the first chapter thanks to a commenter pointing out that her insecurities about the reveal didn't make sense, so I reworked her reasoning towards hesitating to reveal herself. I'm absolutely thrilled with all the attention this silly thing I dusted off from 2017 has gotten! It's really fueled my inspiration, so behold! Chapter 2!

"I left him there," Marinette's voice trembled.

"But you went back," Fu said kindly. "Would you like tea?"

"No." She didn't deserve to sit and drink tea like nothing had happened. Even so, he poured her a cup and gently nudged it into her hands. She set it down for fear of dropping it. "What does it matter that I went back?! I didn't even tell him – I just left! _Again!"_

"You know who he is. You can still tell him, Marinette," he studied her face. "Will you?"

She wanted to say yes. She wanted to make things right. But would that? Would telling him make things right?

"How can I?" she gripped her hands together tightly. "I hurt him, I betrayed him – it would be better for Ladybug to just disappear entirely, wouldn't it? If I tell him now… I'll lose him _again_ . I'll lose his friendship as Marinette! I can't– He's already lost so much. I don't want him to lose _two_ friends."

"You think he wouldn't forgive you?"

She stilled, staring at the cup of tea she didn't dare touch. He probably would forgive her, which was somehow worse. Even if he did forgive her, it wouldn't erase how she abandoned him in his moment of greatest need. It wouldn't change how she had, in a mere moment, wrecked the trust that enabled them to risk their lives knowing the other would always have their back. It would forever be a weight between them, forgiveness or not, and the idea terrified her. If he never knew she was Ladybug, she could do everything she could to be the friend Ladybug had failed to be and he never had to know that it was truly her that had failed him in the first place.

She hated liars, but she'd already lied to her friends and family about who she was. Maybe one more lie, one more withheld truth regarding her other identity…

Marinette could feel the gaze of her now former Master as he awaited her answer, one that came bitter to her lips.

"I don't want him to forgive me."

If he forgave her, it would mean he'd have to know that Marinette was at fault in the first place. If Ladybug could keep the blame on the outside, Marinette was willing to share the unresolved guilt internally if it meant keeping at least one face of hers untainted in the eyes of the boy she loved so much.

Master Fu's expression softened even more, "Marinette…"

Whatever else he had to say was cut off by Wayzz rising from where he sat, looking towards the door.

"Master, he's coming."

Marinette's heart stuttered to a stop, throwing a terrified look at Master Fu before scrambling towards the back room to hide.

"Please, Master," she whispered to him as she hurried back around the corner, squeezing her eyes shut to try and erase the disappointed gaze Fu had given her.

"Adrien," Fu greeted. "I have been waiting for you. Please, have a seat, drink some tea."

Her pulse hammered in her ears, hand reaching to cover her mouth as she waited, hoping he would just give his miraculous over and leave so she could get out of there herself.

"Did you know?" Adrien's voice was hoarse, and almost too quiet to hear.

"I wish I had," Fu replied solemnly. "Thank you for returning both miraculous, Adrien, and I am so very sorry things turned out this way."

There were shuffles, the sounds of the two sitting down.

"Ladybug–" his voice broke on the word and Marinette felt sick. "Did she already…?"

Holding her breath, she waited to see how Master Fu would reply. Would he out her?

"Yes. She returned her miraculous."

_Of course he wouldn't._

"If I… if I asked you…" Adrien's words trailed off, but both of the other parties knew the intended question.

"I'm sorry, Adrien, but it is not my place."

A heavy silence followed, broken only by occasional sips of tea.

"She saw me," his tone sounded defeated. "She knows who I am."

Master Fu hummed in acknowledgement, but waited for the boy to continue.

"Do you think she… Do you think she's…"

Marinette fought the weakness in her legs, wishing she could block the moment out. It was bad enough that she had abandoned him. Now she was eavesdropping.

"Do you think it's because I'm his son?"

The hollow question had her eyes shooting open, hand clamping tighter against her mouth. _No–_

"Do you think her opinion of you would be changed so easily by family ties?" Fu asked evenly.

_You think he wouldn't forgive you?_

"No," Adrien whispered after a moment of hesitation— _she hated herself for giving any cause for hesitation—_ but then added, "but I don't know… why else… why she would have…"

"A lot of things happened this evening," Fu remarked. "It is hard to process so many things at once. Give her time. Perhaps she will seek you out and your questions will be answered."

His words dug into her pointedly.

"And if she doesn't…?"

"My door is always open for you, Adrien," the warmth coated his gentle words. "I am here for whatever you need."

Adrien let out a choked sob and Marinette shrunk into herself.

"What happens now?"

"The police will want a statement from you. It's best not to remain unseen for too long. Your father- he has a secretary, yes?"

"Natalie," Adrien confirmed.

"I'm sure she will be able to help care for your needs as things are figured out with the authorities. For now, I advise you to head home. The police will most likely be there."

"Thank you, Master Fu."

Marinette waited until she was certain Adrien had left and wasn't coming back before she slowly came out of hiding, shame weighing on her heavier than before.

She expected Fu to say something to her. Point out, perhaps, what her actions had done to him. But he remained silent, watching her fruitlessly wipe at tears before they slipped down her cheeks.

"What do I do?" she asked weakly.

"You already know what I think, Marinette," Fu said. "But I cannot force you to do anything. You must choose what you will do now."

She fiddled with her purse strap. With the disappointment she'd seen in his eyes before, he'd probably never want to see such a disaster of a chosen again. But to her surprise, he repeated the same he had told Adrien moments before.

"My door is always open for you."

With a shaky breath and a nod, she gave one last glance outside before heading out, decisions weighing like bricks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed! Hopefully this will help you all to get an even better understanding of why Marinette is so hesitant to come clean. Once again, feedback is appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The class has plenty to say on the matter.

Over a dozen texts and missed calls from Alya greeted Marinette when she woke up the next morning. Eyes bleary from a rough night of only a few hours of sleep, she scrolled through the messages. As expected, it was all about the events of the previous day. The defeat of Papillion, the reveal of who he was, and of course… Adrien.

The final message was a link to a news article, telling her to watch the news footage. Rubbing her forehead, she tapped the link and bit her lip as the video played.

Nadja Chamack was reporting on the incident, showing a clip of Gabriel getting in the police car, and Ladybug—herself—tugging Chat Noir away from the scene disappearing over rooftops. Her eyes burned as she was again forced to recall what happened shortly after.

The video returned to Nadja and… Adrien.

He looked so  _ tired. _

Even the schooled model smile he had showed her the night before had fallen hollow, his expression much more somber as he answered her questions.

"If I had known," he said, replying to her question of whether or not he was involved or even aware of his father's activities, "I would have told Ladybug and Chat Noir and involved the police immediately." His hand rose to rub at his eyes, before quickly dropping as he realized what he was doing, gripping at his sides in fists instead. 

"I wish I had known sooner," his voice turned bitter. "I wish I could have stopped him sooner."

"Is Natalie involved?"

"Not that I know of," he replied. "Honestly, she was more involved in my life than he ever was. I don't think she knew."

"Do you plan on visiting your father?" she asked.

"...I don't know," he admitted. "I want to ask him why, but I'm… not sure if I'm ready to talk to him yet."

"That's understandable," her eyes softened. "I'm very sorry, Adrien. Thank you for taking this time to answer some questions."

Marinette turned off the video once she was sure the interview was finished, returning to Alya's messages. Her fingers danced across the keyboard, but always returned to the backspace. She didn't know what to say. Instead, she got dressed, going through the motions to get ready for school–she wished she had an excuse not to go, but it was a school day nonetheless, and there was no valid reason in the eyes of her family and friends for her not to go.

Downstairs, her mother pulled her into a tight hug before directing her to breakfast. Her parents murmured sympathy for Adrien, sympathy for how Marinette must feel, knowing that her fashion idol was the one who had been terrorizing the city, that her crush was the poor son suffering the most from his actions.

She tried to block it out and wound up barely eating half of her breakfast before excusing herself to go to school.

All the words she rehearsed in her head for when she saw Adrien sank into the pit of her stomach as Alya greeted her at the entrance and informed her that Adrien wasn't there.

"I doubt he's coming at all today," Alya said. "The police are probably getting more information from him. Figuring out what he'll do from now on… did you see the video I sent you?"

"Yeah. Sorry for not replying. I didn't want to be late for school."

Alya sighed, "I feel so bad for him. How are you holding up?"

Marinette shrugged, "I'm worried about him."

Alya nodded, "We all are."

The two headed inside to where the class was chattering amongst themselves.

"His dad always sucked, but I can't believe he was that much of a monster!" Nino was exclaiming.

"I should have realized the high probability of this outcome," Max said. "He rarely made public appearances, was very cold and rather rude at times, and had all the financial means to spend his free time as a villain."

Marinette was suddenly very glad Adrien wasn't at school today.

"You know, I totally had my suspicions-"

Alix cut off Kim, "No you didn't! You never once said anything about that."

"I did too!"

"My poor Adrikins! I'm going to ask Daddy if he can live with us-"

"He still has Natalie, doesn't he?" Mylène pointed out.

"Does this make him an orphan?" Rose asked tearfully.

"His dad isn't  _ dead,"  _ Juleka murmured in reply.

"Well he's certainly dead to me!" Alix crossed her arms.

"You think Natalie knew? I mean, she  _ was _ his assistant."

"I hope not, for Adrien's sake," Nathaniel piped up softly from the back of the room.

Alya set her stuff down on her spot, "Adrien doesn't think she did."

"Yeah, but Adrien didn't know his dad was Papillion–he might not know if Natalie  _ was _ involved."

"How about we don't jump to conclusions?"

"Ok, just to make sure," Alix said loudly, "Does anyone here think Adrien was involved in Papillion's deeds?"

"Absolutely not! That would be ridiculous-" Chloé huffed.

"Of course not!"

A swarm of denial and rejections of the idea filled the air, and Marinette let out a sigh of relief as she slumped into her seat. At least none of her classmates thought he was guilty.

Miss Bustier swept into the room and clapped her hands, "Everyone to their seats! I know a lot has happened since yesterday, but let us not gossip. We are still here to learn. When Adrien does return to school, I hope you all will treat him kindly and be careful of what you say. This news is shocking to everyone, but most of all him. Let's do our best to be considerate."

"Can we all make and sign a card for him?" Rose suggested.

Miss Bustier smiled, "That's a lovely idea, Rose. I don't want to interrupt classes, so why don't you all take a bit of time during lunch break to work on it?"

Nods went around the classroom. As class began, Marinette drew spirals in the margins of her notebook, too lost in her thoughts to even bother with her usual doodles. Alya gave her a sympathetic smile, and reached over to rub her arm, before returning attention to the teacher. There was no way Marinette was going to be able to focus, so she let her mind wander over ways she could help Adrien. She didn't even know when the next time she'd see him would be.

Should she text him? Or would that be bothersome?

When lunch rolled around, she decided to do something to at least lift the mood of her classmates, even if she didn't have any idea of how to help Adrien yet. She hurried home to eat and returned with a box of croissants.

Rose brought the card she had made over for Marinette to sign. The first page had Chloé's name extra large, taking up almost the entire paper, along with a note followed by plenty of X's and O's. She fought off rolling her eyes and flipped the card over, finding an empty space to sign and leave a note. She took a moment to gather her thoughts, trying to recall what she'd had in mind earlier.

_ I'm so sorry _

She paused. So sorry… that your dad is Papillion? That sounded lame. I'm so sorry you're going through this? Hmm… Her eyes flit over the other brief notes. Maybe she shouldn't have started with that line. Too late now.

_ I'm so sorry. Just know we're all here for you! Let me know if you need anything. - Marinette. _

She bit her lip, hesitating, before adding a small heart next to her name. It didn't seem good enough, but she didn't know what to say. It's not as though she could get any more specific with her apology, so she gave Rose a small smile as she passed it back.

"I brought croissants for everyone," Marinette said, opening the box and bringing it around for everyone to take one. The thank yous felt distant in her ears. She felt like such a fraud. As she set the empty box down, her vision blurred and she hurried off to the restroom before anyone saw.

As she closed the stall door behind her, she nearly expected Tikki to come flying out of her purse to comfort her. The silence made her cry harder. 

_ You think he wouldn't forgive you? _

Maybe she should tell him after all. She knew Tikki would also have encouraged her to do so.

Sniffling, she did her best to wipe her eyes and compose herself. The last thing she wanted to do was walk back into class late with red eyes. With a deep breath, she pushed open the bathroom door and found Alya waiting, pulling her into a tight hug.

"It's gonna be ok," Alya told her. "We'll all get through this together."

Fighting off a fresh wave of tears, Marinette nodded against the thick waves of her friend's hair. She hoped so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all know Chloé made a big deal about how her love and sympathy is so much greater than everyone else's, and that's why she had to make hers so big.  
> Thanks again for all the comments and feedback.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ain't nobody gonna trash talk sunshine child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta reader was going to bed right after I finished this and I'm impatient and excited to post it, so uhh, here it is! Let me know if there's any errors haha.

After school, Alya sent Marinette a picture of her notes, for which the absent minded girl was very grateful. As she copied them down into her own notebook, she had an idea. It was simple, but it was a start.

Gathering courage and rewriting the should be simple text many times, she finally sent a message to Adrien.

**Marinette: hey adrien! I'm sorry you're going through this. do you want me to send you notes from class until you return to school?**

It was a nerve-wracking ten or so minutes until his reply.

**Adrien ♡: That would be a big help. Thank you Marinette.**

**Marinette: okay! I'll be sending you today's in a moment. let me know if there's anything else I can do!**

**Adrien ♡: Thanks! :)**

Should she have capitalized her sentences? She thought if she did it would come off too stiff but Adrien had capitalized his, so what if he thought she was lazy or ineloquent or–

Or maybe that was just his typing style and she needed to stop overthinking everything.

After sending a photo of the notes that she had copied—from now on she would have a motivating reason to focus on her classes—she set her phone aside and rolled over to stare up through the trapdoor of her balcony.

It was only just reaching the twenty-four hour mark since Papillion's defeat, and the silence of her room was maddening. She didn't realize just how strange it was to not have a little companion hanging around until the friendly chatter was gone. Even though this was the way things had been before Tikki came into her life, she couldn't ever remember the silence of her room being so deafening.

Marinette needed to do something. Rolling off her bed, she stood at the rails, looking down. Something to fill the silence, to get her mind off of things… 

She stared at her sewing machine for a long, uninspired moment, before hurriedly rubbing at her blurring eyes. Turning, she instead decided to pull herself up onto the balcony, breathing in the fresh air, letting the sounds of the city around her fill her ears as she watered her flowers.

Her foot caught on the little table as she moved to the other side, flailing arm colliding with a pot as she yelped and barely caught herself.

The pot, on the other hand, did hit the ground. It didn't break, thankfully, just toppled onto its side, dirt spreading across the floor, flower crumpled. She sank to her knees, reaching forward to right the pot, brushing the dirt off the petals, coaxing the plant to stay upright.

It flopped over again, stem broken, and she cried.

* * *

The next few days were going a little bit better in the 'not crying' and 'focusing on school' department until one unfortunate lunch break. It was then, in the hallway, another class was heard chatting about the events.

"I heard he was always getting time off for photoshoots and stuff. Do you think some of those 'photoshoots' were actually times where he was helping his dad? I was looking through the Ladyblog last night and there were definitely akuma attacks that corresponded–I mean, how can you live under the same roof and _not_ know?"

"He's such a goody-two-shoes. It could have totally been a front!"

"Maybe that's why he still hasn't come back to school. The police are finding evidence of his involvement and he's in custody!"

Marinette stuffed her school supplies in her bag, tension growing. Around her, the other students gathering their belongings for lunch were also sending irritated glances towards the door.

"Dude I like, totally had a crush on him. Was I crushing on a supervillain?"

"Supervillain's assistant maybe."

There was a gasp.

"Do you think his assistant was also involved?"

"Duh!"

"Wait I just realized–There _were_ a lot of akuma from our school. Maybe Adrien was a spy! He'd tell his dad when he found good akuma targets! So many people were akumatized in his class after all."

That was the tipping point. Alya was already moving towards the door to give them an earful, but Marinette slipped past her, hot with rage.

"Adrien is losing everything he has," her footsteps stomped loudly into the group that was drifting through the halls, "and you _dare_ accuse him of being involved in all of this?"

People fell silent, eyes turning towards her. She could hear her fellow classmates filing out behind her.

"If you can even think for one second that he had anything to do with Papillion's crimes you don't know him at all!" she pointed at the group. "Adrien has been _nothing_ but kind to _everyone_. His first day of school here he tried to remove gum from my seat, and even when I misunderstood and blamed him for putting it there he went out of his way to apologize to me, giving me his umbrella and walked to the car in the rain!

"He lost his mother and his father has been nothing but cold and uncaring towards him, refusing to let him have fun with his friends, refusing to let him have a life outside of his work and school, and yet Adrien has managed to remain kinder and more compassionate than any of you put together! You don't even know the start of all the wonderful things he's done!" She couldn't even _tell_ them all the wonderful things he'd done without giving up his alter identity. "The amount of crap he's put up with and managed to be so sweet despite is absolutely boggling to me, and the fact that you all will stand around gossiping about someone who has done nothing wrong, done nothing but _good_ for this entire city is sickening to me! 

"So while you guys get your happy little lives, free from Papillion, safe with your family and friends, maybe you should stop for a second and think about the fact that his entire life has turned upside down for him. Papillion's reign may have ended for you guys, but he has to live with the fact that his own father was the one behind the mask. He has to lose his other parent. He has to deal with backlash and rumors and hatred and he does _NOT_ need more people adding to it! Least of all his peers and classmates!"

The students looked between each other, shuffling awkwardly.

"Overreact much?" someone from the group mumbled.

Marinette went to take a step towards them, but the firm hand of her best friend held her back as Alya stepped up next to her.

"Marinette is right. Adrien needs support, not mean rumors from people who don't know the first thing about him. If you don't have anything nice to say on the matter, stop talking about it entirely. This kind of rumor spreading nonsense is completely out of line and unnecessary."

The darkened glares of kids who either didn't want to admit fault or were just pissed they were getting called out continued to be cast around the room.

"If I hear a single word against Adrien when he comes back to school, I'll make you regret the day you were born," Alix suddenly said, stepping forward with her arms crossed.

_"I'll_ get them suspended!" Chloé said with a flip of her ponytail.

"Yeah, it's not fair to Adrien for you to say all this mean stuff behind his back," Rose added, and Juleka quickly followed suit.

"What his dad did isn't his fault…"

"Basically," Marinette lifted her chin, leveling them all with a look that could kill if Papillion still had power, "we all have Adrien's back here, and if you dare bad-mouth him again and we catch wind, you have his entire class to deal with."

She glanced back at Chloé and smirked.

_"And_ the mayor."

Now _that_ had some of them taking a step back, demeanors shrinking a little, and Chloé's sharp laugh barked from behind them.

"That's right, you pathetic little rats. Daddy is just a call away! We will _not_ allow for any slander against Adrien!"

With a few mutters, the group of students dispersed and the anger in Marinette slowly simmered down. It lingered, but she was glad they had put a stop to negative chatter. The hand that had gripped her shoulder a moment before now slipped around to the other as Alya tugged her inwards, angling her phone towards the two.

"Anything else you wanna add, Marinette?"

Marinette looked up and found her own face staring back at her, numbers ticking away on the video Alya had apparently been recording.

_"What?_ You were _recording?"_ she flailed, trying to duck out of the camera's view as her face heated rapidly, but Alya doggedly kept ahold of her, refusing to let her run from the limelight.

"I thought Adrien could use some love!"

"L-l-love?!" she squawked.

"I missed the start of it," Alya told the camera. "But you should have seen how fast this girl jumped to your defense. She flew past me to get out the classroom door! No matter what happens, you've got friends here, Adrien!"

"We're here for you, dude!" Nino said behind her. The class crowded in, waving and sending well wishes, while Marinette's face burned relentlessly, mouth opening and closing stupidly until Alya turned the recording off. She hadn't been able to think of anything else to say after Alya pointed out the camera, gaping like a red fish instead.

Alya assured her that she'd already stolen the show for the better part of the video.

"But- I mean- he doesn't need to know people are talking bad!" Marinette pointed out.

"Nothing they said made it on camera, and Adrien isn't naive–he's used to press and gossip. I'm sure he already knows there's gonna be some of that lurking around–there is online, after all. He's probably already assumed there's some in school too! So what better than some powerful defending words to put those fears to rest! You know he's gonna be so touched by this video."

Alya was right. She knew it would mean a lot to Adrien, but she couldn't even remember what she'd said now that the moment had passed.

"Will you at least let me see it first?"

"Nope," Alya's fingers moved swiftly across the screen. "I'll send it to you… after I send it to Adrien."

Marinette whined, burying her face in her hands as Alya finished and dragged her towards the courtyard for lunch. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I appreciate feedback! I've enjoyed putting into play some ideas readers have given me. If you have more, let me know! I'll do my best to incorporate them if they fit. C:

**Author's Note:**

> Marinette certainly won't leave things like this. I plan on having her, though not giving up her identity (at least not yet?), try to be there for Adrien.  
> If you have any ideas of what you'd like to see here, like I said in the beginning noted, drop a comment! Thanks for reading.  
> Edit: made changes towards the middle as to Marinette's reasons for withholding her identity. I wrote this before season 2 came out, and at the time, Marinette's confidence seemed a lot more wobbly than it does now. I decided to edit things to better suit the Marinette we know today. If you've read this right after I posted it, I advise giving it another read! It'll be important to her actions as it continues.


End file.
